RetailNOW 2023: Growth-Oriented VARs, Niche ISVs Form New Nucleus Of Retail IT Channel

By Jim Roddy, President & CEO at the RSPA

As you would expect, the RSPA’s 75^th Anniversary celebration at RetailNOW 2023, held July 30-Aug. 1 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, featured plenty of black-and-white photos and tales of yesteryear. But even during an event steeped in nostalgia from start to finish, it was evident the 1,500+ attendees were focused on the future of our industry.

History was referenced often as the key to VARs and ISVs embracing what’s ahead: We’ve adapted from mechanical cash registers to ECRs (electronic cash registers) to POS systems to robots and tablets and payments, oh my. Our ability to adapt, our ability to be resilient – that’s our path to the future.

Of course the retail IT channel has changed dramatically over 75 years, but have you ever thought how different our industry looks compared to just 75 months ago? (That would be May 2017. No need to pull out a calendar and count backwards.) Back then, RetailNOW was essentially a meeting of POS resellers, payment providers, and hardware vendors plus a handful of software companies.

The makeup of this year’s show included those businesses but much more.